Lakewood Needs to End its Pit Bull Ban

A week ago I went for a walk with some friends, some old and some new.

We walked with our dogs from (a dog day care near ) to (an organic pet store by the military recruitment center). We talked to people we met on the way. At least once per block we had someone honk their horns and wave to us from their cars.

We had no arguments or disagreements with anyone we met and the dogs did likewise. The reason we walked was because we believe that our dogs regardless of the color of their fur should be allowed in Lakewood.

Lakewood has one of the highest densities of dogs in any city in this nation.

It has a great dog park that we are willing to fight for when necessary. Lakewood has not one but two thriving organic pet stores.

It is even home to All Dogs Heaven a special needs animal rescue unique to our region. But if you were to try and find some accolade of Lakewood being a dog friendly city you would fail. (BSL) that bans certain breeds from Lakewood.

This ban is aimed primarily at pit bulls.

A pit bull is a mixed breed dog that is primarily associated with the stratfordshire terrier but broadly covers 33 different breeds. Looking like a pit bull is the primary determiner. Unfortunately, this means at least 33 different breeds of dogs including labrador retrievers and boxers can be affected. If arrested your dog must be removed from Lakewood or risk confiscation, the owners must breed test their dog at .

Your house can be entered without a warrant because the dog is already guilty of being dangerous. If your dog is less than 50% stratfordshire terrier then he can come back. This test can be overruled by the sight test however.

Consequences of this legislation include the following:

• Home owners have been forced to sell their houses and move out of town.

• People owning mutts that have a bully breed appearance cannot move to Lakewood regardless of the training level of their dog, including therapy and special-needs helper dogs.

• In order to to safely adopt a dog from the pound an owner needs to have their potential dog breed tested to avoid arrest.

• Lakewood businesses, especially our pet oriented businesses, are suffering from an expanding boycott on Lakewood.

I could go on here saying how the majority of dog violence in this country is due to human neglect, abuse and improper training (not that it isn't true.) But instead I'll let the experts say it:

• The American Temperament Society passed 89.7% of stattfordshire bull terriers tested as being well adjusted and non-aggressive. This is compared to the standard poodle at 86.3% and the golden retriever at 84.9%

• The University of Pennsylvania found the top three dogs most likely to attack a human to be the dachshund, chihuahua and jack russel terrier. Pit bulls had a below average ranking in aggression in their study. The smaller ratter breeds of dogs have a higher rate of aggression that goes with their breed jobs. The larger breeds get a worse rap because their attacks are more often reported.

• In a study based on Denver County dog bite data half of all dog attacks were by unleashed dogs in public places.

• “A study performed by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the CDC, and the Humane Society of the United States, analyzed dog bite statistics from the last 20 years and found that the statistics don’t show that any breeds are inherently more dangerous than others.” The statistics show that which ever dog breed is most popular for home protection is also the dog most likely to severely injure humans. [Banning a breed will simply lead to a different breed to be used in its place.]

• The CDC finds that biting dogs tend to be chained dogs. They also found that there is a 300% better chance that a person will be injured by a bicycle than by a dog. The CDC found that over 95% of all dogs bites were by un-fixed or neutered dogs.

We the people of Lakewood have banned an imaginary breed. Science and experts say that this will not help protect people.

Statistically banning dogs from being chained and unsupervised, creating programs to get the dogs of our city fixed and harsher laws against animal abuse would make us safer, wealthier and wiser city. It is time for us to become a leader, not a follower.

It is time for us to have laws that respect and protect us and our furry family members. It is time to eliminate our BSL. This is not just because there is no justice in a family being forced to give up their dog for no crime but its existence. Not just because it's an embarrassment to our city.

But imagine if it was your dog. Imagine it could be a lab, it could be a boxer, it could be a dachshund (#1 biting breed), or any random combination.

Even if it was a stattfordshire terrier, imagine that this dog loves you and you love him. He has never hurt you or anyone else.

On occasion he has stolen a hot dog from the table or had an accident in the dining room. He regardless is your dog and you are his owner, you are each others family. Now imagine one night as you sit down to dinner an officer of Lakewood shows up saying that they had reports that a pit bull lived here and you have to show them your dog.

You now had to choose to send your dog away forever, move with him or to let him die. I live in Lakewood and I imagine that we can do better than this.

I know our city can be even greater.